The San Diego Chargers have signed their starting quarterback to a four-year, $83.25 million extension, including $65 million in guarantees, which will give the five-time Pro-Bowler an annual base salary of $20.8 million.

The $65 million guaranteed money is said to be the highest for any player currently under contract with an NFL team, as per ESPN.

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Rivers was the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, who immediately traded him to San Diego for a package that included fellow quarterback Eli Manning, who came in first overall.

The former North Carolina State standout, who was entering the final year of his six-year, $91.8 million deal signed with the Chargers in 2009, had reportedly said he is okay with the $15.75 million salary he was supposed to receive from the team this year and just enter free agency next season.

He said he was also open for an extension as long as it would not drag into the upcoming season where he wanted to focus on his performance more than anything else.

Apparently, San Diego wanted to lock in their prized signal caller for what seemed to be the duration of his career, and they also did not want to let him suffer from any contract hassles during the season, as they immediately extended the 33-year-old pro up until 2019.

Bleacher Report noted that there were speculations during the offseason that the Chargers were planning to franchise tag the veteran playmaker this season, which was said to be not agreeable to Rivers.

Rumors abound that the quarterback wanted to play out his contract this year to test free agency next summer, but the management would not allow that, thus working out an extension as soon as possible.

There were also rumors about Rivers not liking the franchise's impending move to Los Angeles, which is why he was looking for a way out of the Chargers, as reported by CBS Sports. But the lucrative offer may have just forced him to agree with the ownership's vision of transferring to L.A. next season.

With the new deal, Rivers became the fourth highest-paid quarterback in the league right now, behind the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers, Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson, and Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger.

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, NFL rumors, NFL Rumors 2015, Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers